


Red String Theory

by ZombieQueen



Series: Agent XI Canon Hub [4]
Category: Ben 10 Series, SCP Foundation, The Secret Saturdays
Genre: Alternate Character Interpretation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Deconstruction Fic, Attempted Song Fic, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Deconstruction, Dysfunctional Family, Existential Angst, Existential Crisis, Existentialism, Fandom compliant, Fanon Compliant, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Hanahaki Disease, Heartbreak, Magic, Multi, Murder-Suicide, My First Work in This Fandom, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Red String of Fate, Song fic, Surgery, Tags Contain Spoilers, The Future isn't set in stone, Time Shenanigans, Time Travel, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, What am I doing?, as in a fucking tree starts growing out of someone, but taken to horrific levels, but taken very literally, please get this through your skull Ben 10 fans, second love, whatever that means
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:07:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27201550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieQueen/pseuds/ZombieQueen
Summary: Can you cut the Red String of Fate?
Relationships: Doc Saturday/Drew Saturday, Doyle Blackwell & Zak Saturday, Ester & Kai Green, Fiskerton Saturday & Zak Saturday, Kai Green & Ben Tennyson, Kai Green & Ken "Kenny" Tennyson, Ken "Kenny" Tennyson & SCP-239, Komodo & Zak Saturday, One-Sided Kai Green/Zak Saturday, Past Kai Green/Ben Tennyson, Rook Blonko & Kai Green, Rook Blonko/Ben Tennyson, SCP-239 & Alison Chao| The Black Queen| L. S., Zak Saturday & Ben Tennyson, Zak Saturday & Zon, Zak Saturday/Wadi
Series: Agent XI Canon Hub [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627360
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

How long?

How long had Spanner been at war with him?

Why were they at war in to begin with?

He was tired... So, so tired of this... Why did he do this?

He hated himself for what he had done to his home, but he no longer had the luxury of going back.

The Red Strings on his wrists and fingers and ankles were a constant reminder of that. It was ironic, perhaps funny, to have a symbol related to love become such a pain when taken too far.

Maybe that's all the Red Strings were; an eternal punishment between two or more souls cursed to be bound in a loveless bond.

He just wanted his parents to be happy. He didn't consider the consequences of his time travelling, and now, he was being punished for his actions.

Did he truly deserve this? Did he truly deserve to be trapped in this never ending Hell? Why did that alternate version the Serpent's Hand Member S###### S############ curse him to be this way? Was it because of her anger at that moment?

The moment that now and forever trapped Chrono Spanner in his punishment...


	2. XO - EDEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a song fic, you gotta deal with it. Why is this also a song fic? Because I've always kinda felt that musicians and poets are more respectful to the concept that is love and you can practically hear that in their verses and voices when they share that semi-unspoken knowledge to those who have been heartbroken or no longer let themselves feel anything love related anymore or whatever. 
> 
> "Music is a gateway into the soul of the voice, but it is often overshadowed by its own noise."  
> \- Probably some famous dead person whose name has been lost to history.

** _1,2,3. Yeah, she's in love with the concept. As if we're all just how she imagines._ **

* * *

Kai kept replaying the memory in her head. Was she supposed to be with Ben? If so, why was she never happy? While she wasn't fully against the idea of a soulmate, the idea of being stuck with somebody who she cared so very little for just felt...

Wrong, to say the least of it...

* * *

_' **Cause we're in love but just don't know it yet. Well, tell me how I'm supposed to see the magic? 'Cause I don't believe in it no more... But I won't tell her. 'Cause I always imagined it's easier if she thinks she's won, so I'mma let her.**_

* * *

It was in that then new restaurant, Ambrose Bellwood. That's where she had to tell him...

* * *

** _And she said, "I don't think I love you no more. You never seem to call me lately." Girl, I don't think you know me at all, 'cause I never thought I'd have to say this._ **

* * *

Ben said nothing at the time, or maybe he did and Kai wasn't listening. He simply said to her the one phrase that she just kept looping in her mind since:

"I don't think I love you either. I'm sorry, I should've warned you that this could happen. Can't say I'm surprised. Maybe if we'd never met, you would have a happier future."

"What kind of future?" She asked, unaware of the things that Ben had gone through regarding the nature of spacetime.

"One without me holding you back."

* * *

** _No, I don't love you, and I never did. Just look at us, burning down flames for kicks. But just know, I'm not singing for your XO; I'm just singing 'cause it's over, yeah. Uh, yeah._ **

* * *

Then the next thing Kai knew, she saw Ben holding a bouquet of carnations, green as his eyes, standing next to Rook, who had escorted him to their date... She didn't want to remember the rest after that, but about a day afterwards, rumors and betting pools were spread and paid their dues, as the next thing she heard was that her now ex-boyfriend and his partner were now...

That was three years ago, almost four by now. He had clearly forgotten all about her, but why wasn't she forgetting him?

Why was Kai being plagued by memories of the one person who she never cared for?

That phone call from Ester didn't really help, but it was nice to hear from somebody who actually wanted to be friends with her, instead of somebody who just wanted to use her to do their history homework for them. Did Ester even go to school? Whatever. Just another chance to hang out with her only two real friends was good enough for her. Ester had invited Rook and a "friend of his" to hang out with them at the Bellwood Historical Museum for some fun, but Kai herself had invited an almost friend and his family to come over to see what she and Wes had found.

The name of her almost friend was a man named Zakerias Saturday. Zak for short. Kai had met him while their families were busy catching up after Max's funeral. He was nice, but there was something... There was just something about him that Kai couldn't help but admire, but she didn't know if it would be okay to want to...

 _NO!!! Don't do that, Kai. You know that falling does you no good. Everybody hates you. Nobody loves you. You're a bad person and everyone around you knows it, and they're not wrong to feel that way!!! Shut the fuck up!!_ She thought to herself. This wasn't the first time that she had been having those kinds of thoughts. Far from it. She was used to these kinds of mental conversations/arguments with herself. She was always right about that kind of self-destructive bullshit.

She was always right.

"Kai?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Wes. Apart from gaining a few more wrinkles on his face and cutting his hair in grief over Max, not much about him had changed.

He didn't need to know about Kai's fucked up bullshit. He had enough to deal with in his life. She didn't need to be a burden to him anymore. Wasn't that what being an adult was all about?

No longer being a burden?

"You alright?" Asked Wes. He had noticed that Kai had been getting more and more lost in her thoughts lately.

"I'm fine."

"You sure you're okay? I can reschedule if you're not comfortable with seeing-"

"No, no, you don't have to do that for me! I mean... I guess I'm just excited to finally have a day to hang out with all my friends in one place." Well, the ones that bothered to stay, anyways.

It was so easy for her to fake a smile.

It was nice seeing Ester and Rook again, but she never thought that she'd be meeting up with Ben ever again.

Did he hate her now?

He had every right to... After everything that she had done to him... Physically and verbally... Maybe even psychologically...

What the fuck was wrong with her?

Why was she like this?

What made her this way around people?

Why did she always push everyone around her away?

* * *

** _Came and went like the summertime. Was that a sunset or a sunrise? Looking back like "Where'd the time go?" So much for trying to keep this moving slow. 'Cause I don't believe in her no more. But I remember how we talked shit like we knew what we wanted. And..._**

* * *

"Hello, Mr. Tennyson. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Miss Green."

"So... You and Rook are still-"

"Yes."

"That's nice to know." She paused in hesitation. What could she say to him now? "Do you hate me now?" What the fuck?! Why did she ask that?!

"What would be the point of that? You said that you didn't want to be held down by me. You told me that you couldn't be in love with me, so I just moved on. You should too; you'll be happier as soon as you do. I don't hate you. I never saw the point of that with any of my real ex-lovers. You've always been cool to me. You're just a diamond stuck in a lump of coal. Or something like that. Keep being proud of that."

 _Nice to know that he doesn't hate me... "A diamond stuck in a lump of coal"... How do I "keep being proud of that" if I hate myself? Ugh! Why do I always get in the way of my own greatness?!_ She sighed in a strange feeling of relief. She hadn't felt like that in a good while. _At least I know where to start now._

"Hey, Ben."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For..." She stopped. Then spoke again. This time with a bit more confidence than usual. "For taking your time to see me again. It's been awhile, you know? I still got your number, by the way. You still got mine?"

"Yeah."

"Good to know. Maybe we should talk some more?"

"Maybe we should."

* * *

**_ I still remember what she said. "I don't think I love you no more. You never seem to call me lately." But I don't think she knew me at all, 'cause I never thought I'd have to say this, but I'm no liar, and I never hid anything. You should've seen it coming to this, but just know, I'm not singing for an ex though. I'm just singing 'cause it's over. Yeah... Yeah... _ **


	3. Youth-Daughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mentions of fire, a gun, and booze being used for making a fire. I apologize if this scares you. This fic isn't rated M for no reason.

"Um, Chrono, your plan doesn't make any sense. Also, no offense, but for somebody who claims to be a military brat, you aren't very good at making battle strategies." Said Alison as she looked over Spanner's so called plan, which just consisted of stick figures holding what were possibly spears or swords or knives or bows and arrows or really badly drawn rifles and soccer field lines or whatever the papyrus scroll was depicting. A warzone, maybe? It was hard to tell due to Spanner's complete lack of art skills, though Alison was too polite to insult him like that.

Well, this version of Alison. Specifically, Alison Chao OV-XI, but there were other Little Sisters who shared her multiverse designation, so to differentiate, this Alison mainly went by Black Queen OV-XI/Alpha-Prime-0010. Of course, that was something that only she knew, as well as her counterparts, since they were all the same person. The Omniverse was really weird sometimes, but that was the part that she liked.

Spanner looked over at Alison, his body language stating that he wasn't in the mood to hear any kind of criticism at this time. It was hard to tell what he was really feeling and thinking, due to always wearing a helmet, but his body always told more than his words.

Was he aware of that?

Alison and her Little Sisters just didn't know, and Sigurros couldn't read his mind due to Spanner being a temporal anomaly and his native timeline no longer existing.

* * *

**_ Shadows settle on the place that you left. Our minds are troubled by the emptiness. _ **

* * *

Sigurros sat next to Spanner on the same side of the red couch, holding a magical girl manga-esque comic book from Dimension MOA-B10-2016 called "Grimoire Girls", a series that didn't exist in Dimension OV-XI/Alpha-Prime-0010, and tried to read the book aloud to Spanner to see if he could smile. It never worked, though 239 was not the kind of Keter Class Humanoid who gave up easily. She was SCP-239 (AKA Sigurros Stefansdottir (AKA The Neverwere Slayer (AKA The Woman With The Stars In Her Eyes (AKA The Witch Child)))) and if there was one thing that she could say about herself, it would be that the Foundation didn't raise no quitter, but they did raise a Type Green under Type Blue academia, and a surprisingly strong Psionic at that. Having your body be put into an indefinite comatose state had that effect, though 239 wasn't quite sure how she did that, but it was her little secret that the Foundation would never know.

As well as the fact that she was a member of the Serpent's Hand and was the head of the Dragon's Eye, a Faction of the Serpent's Hand that was composed of fellow versions of SCP-239, all with similar backgrounds to Sigurros, but with different lies told to them as children, ranging from "she is a faerie" to "she is a goblin" or "she is a demon" and so on and so forth.

It wasn't too surprising to find your alternate counterparts, also known as Alters, while in a place like the Wanderer's Library. The Library was a type of dimension known as a Crossroad Plane, and those who knew how to Cross through the Ways were known as Wayfinders. Chrono Spanner was well known in the Wayfinder community, as well as the Serpent's Hand, but as far as anybody knew, he had no other connections, save for two:

The Black Queen and The Ones Who Walked.

While Alison Chao and her Little Sisters were known to share the name of the Black Queen, The Ones Who Walked were a different story... Only four names of The Ones Who Walked were known:

The First One Who Walked was known as Professor Paradox. Though he had no interest in the Hand's goals, nor was he interested in opposing them, he was a well respected ally and informant, not to mention a very frequent patron, which made sense due to having a Library Card.

The Second One Who Walked was known as Eon. A frequent patron as well, but one with his own goals in mind, and was known by the Hand to be almost obsessed with the Omnimatrix, or Omnitrix as many abbreviate, and the planet Primus, the Codon Stream, the DNA pods, the Unitrix prototype, and probably the most important part of it all: The Wielder. 

Chrono Spanner was known to be The Third One Who Walked.

As for The Fourth One Who Walked, well, he was simply a Nobody.

* * *

**_ Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time. From the perfect start to the finish line. _ **

* * *

"Spanner?" 239 prompted.

"Yeah, Ros?"

"What was your family like? You never tell me and Alison about yourself. Or anybody, for that matter. What happened to your timeline?"

Spanner looked down at the Strings on his hands. He looked back at Sigurros, his shoulders slumped and head down.

* * *

**_ And if you're still breathing, then you are the lucky ones... 'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs... Setting fire to our insides for fun... _ **

* * *

"Let me tell you a story."

"What kind of story?"

"You know the story of Red Riding Hood?"

"No. I've never heard of it."

"Of course you haven't, but what I'm about to tell you isn't gonna be like the other versions you'll hear."

With this, Spanner began to weave a tale. A tale that he called "The Canine Bride & The Merchant In Red."

* * *

**_ Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong... The lovers that went wrong... We are the reckless; we are the wild youth chasing visions of our futures._**

* * *

"A long time ago, on a planet long forgotten, lived a Merchant who always wore red, and travelled across the stars to other worlds to sell only the most exotic of goods and see the most abnormal of sights. On one of his trips, the Merchant In Red encountered a canine-like creature wearing a bridal veil. The Canine introduced herself as the Canine Bride and told the Merchant In Red that she was searching the cosmos just for his hand in marriage. The Merchant refused, as he believed that being wed would ruin his life. The Canine Bride, at first, was respectful of his wishes, knowing that, in time, he would retire from his travelling. Six years passed, and it was now the Merchant who desired the Canine's hand-"

" _Canidae_ don't have hands!" Sigurros interrupted.

"Ugh! Fine! Six years passed, and now it was the Merchant who desired the Canine's _paw_ in wedlock. But the Canine refused, as she had lost interest in him. But time went on, and they had grown to love each other, even having a child... But was it truly love? Then came the gunshots... the smell of alcohol... the screaming and cursing... damnation... red and blue lights... the fire..." He trailed off and stopped.

Too much information... 239 didn't need to know about of Spanner's bullshit. She had enough in her life for him to be a burden to her and Alison.

To anybody...

_NO! Spanner, you bastard son of a bitch! Don't do that fucked up shit! Never tell anybody about what happened between Mother and Father! They never loved you! Why would SCP-239 and the Black Queens? Only Paradox deserves to know the truth about me. He's the only person that I can trust._

* * *

**_One day we'll reveal the truth: That one will die before he gets there. And if you're still bleeding, then you are the lucky one. 'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone. We're setting fire to our insides for fun... Collecting names from the flood that wrecked our home... It was a flood that wrecked this home and you caused it..._ **

* * *

Spanner looked at the Strings that burned his wrists again.

Every time he looked at his curse, he would be forced to remember what happened between his parents:

How his father had gone and lost his mind, and burned the house down...

* * *

**_ And you caused it... _ **

* * *

How his mother had prepared for such an event, grabbed a Beretta M9, and pulled the trigger...

* * *

**_ And you caused it... _ **

* * *

"Spanner? Are you alright? You started talking about gunshots and a fire. Is that what happened to your family? Did they survive?" 239 asked while bringing him back to reality.

Spanner wasn't sure to say to Miss Stefansdottir. He could easily just tell her what happened, but she could tell when people were lying to her, so that was out of the question.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Really? You don't sound sure."

"Don't worry about me, Sigurros. Everything's fine." Though, in truth, he wasn't.

It was so easy for him to fake a gesure of confidence.

* * *

** _Well, I've lost it all. I'm just a silhouette. I'm just a lifeless face that you'll soon forget. And my eyes are damp from the words you left ringing in my head when you broke my chest... Ringing in my head... When you broke my chest... And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one, 'cause most of us are bitter over someone. We're setting fire to our insides for fun, to distract our hearts from ever missing them, but I'm forever missing him, and you caused it... And you caused it... And you caused it..._ **


	4. Fool-Cavetown

Kai wasn't sure what to say about seeing Ben's car getting smashed up by Chrono Spanner falling from a portal in the sky, but Rook simply gave her a "there-there" pat on her back and told her that this kind of thing was viewed as "normalcy" for the two of them. After all, Ben could just turn into Upgrade and fix and improve the DX Mark 10 without much issue as long as he wasn't being interrupted while doing so.

Ester and Wes ran to see if Spanner was hurt, but before they could inspect any of his injuries, the portal above the car glowed again and out of it came a young human girl, roughly eight years old, of European descent, riding a pair of those roomba vacuum cleaners as if they were roller skates and wearing what looked like a pair of blue jeans, a white colored T-shirt that had the phrase "I fought the Neverwere and all I got was this shirt." written on it in felt tip green marker, both articles of clothing were as small as one would expect for a child, but was wearing no shoes. Blonde hair with purple streaks and dark grey eyes, but something in her pupils looked... not natural... there was a bit of a... faint glow to them...

Like she had a pair of stars in place of pupils...

The girl spoke to Spanner, her accent and language of origin revealing themselves to be Icelandic, but with bits and pieces of American, Arabic, Polish, Chinese, and British accents thrown in, but the Icelandic parts of her voice were the main thing being heard. That wasn't normal for a child's voice. Normally, a child's voice would be stuck as one accent, but if they were exposed to a different one, it would be quick to change with the main accent of wherever their new accent had come from, but for this girl, this kind of thing wasn't the case, unless she came from a multilingual household, but would her accent still change if that was the case?

There was now a faint, almost ghostly, indigo halo surrounding her crown, with a galaxy cut styled gemstone-like construct above her brows.

 _"I can hear you, Kai Green."_ Said the girl's voice in Kai's head. How did she know her name?!

_How did you-_

_"Know your name? Aren't you seeing my Third Eye? Or, if you want to be more accurate, my Ajna Chakra? You can see it, right?"_

_How, though?_

_"It's just a thing that happens when I read minds. Whoever's mind I'm reading has the ability to see my halo. Well, if I'm awake to activate my telepathy anyways. And when I'm actively using it rather than passively."_

_How does that work? And how are we thinking so clearly? Shouldn't we just be getting something like a jammed up radio signal kind of thing?_

_"I filtered out the nonsense thoughts. It's not easy to master that. It's not like reading a novel. It's more like trying to scrub out a nasty stain on your clothes and your washing machine's all busted up."_

_Okay, cool? Didn't really need to know that, but cool, I guess?_

_"Is it okay if I look into your memories? I promise I won't change anything!"_

_You're not allowed in there! Now get the fuck out of my head, you weird kid!_

_"Aww, why do people never let me have any fun? Also, my name is Sigurros Stefansdottir, in case you were wondering. Can I at least keep looking around your mind?"_

_I said get out!_

_"Umph! Fine! But I'm gonna come back later!"_

After that very unusual psychic conversation, Sigurros' Ajna Chakra halo was no longer visible, letting herself speak aloud.

"Spanner! Wake up please! You can't die yet! You gotta fight that Eon son of a bitch!" Such surprisingly inappropriate language wasn't normal for a child to say, but Sigurros wasn't afraid of cussing, as she was comfortable with it, having grown up with a severe lack of peers. The only peers she had were SCP-191 and SCP-134. They were the "Powerpuff Girls of Site-17", as they jokingly called themselves, despite the fact that Sigurros had no actual frame of reference regarding pop culture.

Spanner got back up and reversed the effects of the crash on his body using his time powers. He screamed in pain as he did so for each cut and laceration made by every shard of glass and scrap of metal that had embedded itself into him.

Worried looks surrounded him as he did this.

"What? Why are all of y'all starin' at me?" He asked with an air of indifference as soon as he was done. As if he didn't just fall on top of a still-running car.

A few hours of waiting for the Saturday family came and went.

When they finally did come, Kai didn't expect a reunion between the family with Ben and Rook.

"AHH!! I didn't know you guys would come!"

"It's so good to see you guys again! We have a ton of stuff to talk about!"

The conversations went on.

Introductions were made.

Kai felt invisible.

* * *

**_ I am just a fool to keep on chasing after nothing great. You are just a fool to keep pretending that you're loving me. I don't know where I'm supposed to go. _ **

* * *

Then she met Wadi. Wadi bint Maboul al Hassi. She was a nice girl, though Zak warned that she was a kleptomaniac with a yoyo, but Kai saw him blush while he was saying that when she was first brought up in conversation. Seeing her in person just confirmed her suspicion:

Zak had a girlfriend.

_He has a girlfriend. Of course he does! Am I jealous of Wadi? No... But shouldn't I be? Part of me wants to ask out Zak, but then he'd be cheating on his lady friend. It wouldn't be right if I asked him out. Asking him out would be wonderful, but that would only make me happy, not Zak._

She soon saw Sigurros' Ajna Chakra energy activate and heard her voice speak in her head again.

* * *

**_ Call me on the phone at three. I'll talk to you while I'm half asleep. Complaining 'bout your mother so I'll take you to the cemetery. Rant to me, I like the sound. I like your voice. I like your mouth. _ **

* * *

_"Do you want Zakerias Saturday all to yourself, Miss Green? To keep him would be no different than stealing him from Aanesa Wadi and breaking her heart."_

_I don't want to steal him._

_"Then, what do you want for him?"_

Kai looked over at Zak and Wadi. They were talking about something in Arabic. Kai couldn't understand a word of it, but understood that they were blushing and intertwining their fingers. The word "hibabi" was heard at one point, stemming from Wadi's mouth. Zak's blushing practically flooded his entire head as the two of them laughed and spouted what sounded like playful insults at each other.

* * *

**_Cycling to school at 7:30 in the morning. I am still your baby boy. I'm stuck in 2013. Don't understand my body. Washing machine confuses me._ **

* * *

_I want him to be happy._

Sigurros' Ajna Chakra crown thing vanished again, a sympathetic look on her face.

Kai now knew that her attraction to Zak was just a mere distraction, but why wasn't she happy with just wanting Zak to be happy? She didn't feel any kind of envy or rage against Wadi, and even _wanted_ her to ask out Zak. Kai knew that her crush, if it could even be called that, was just going to get in the way of their romance.

They deserved each other.

Kai didn't deserve either of them.

* * *

** _I am such a fool to keep on chasing after nothing great. You are such a fool to keep pretending that you're loving me. I don' t know where I'm supposed to go._ **

* * *

_I don't deserve love like everyone else does._ She thought to herself. _What was it that Shakespeare wrote? "All the world's a stage?" Well, if that's the case, then all I am is a set piece._

Then she heard Sigurros' mental voice, seeing her halo one more time.

_ "Don't think about yourself that way, Miss Green. Just look at all the cool stuff you found!!! Your name is gonna echo all across future history! How many people can say that they found some cool old stuff and that it got put into a damn museum?!" _

* * *

**_ I was such a fool to keep on chasing after nothing great. You were such a fool to keep pretending that you're loving me. I don't know where I'm supposed to go. Look in the mirror. I love that boy. Don't hurt my dear. Don't hurt my joy. _ **

* * *

Before they could properly begin their tour of the museum, another portal opened up. Stepping out of it was a familiar face walking next to an unfamiliar girl of either Asian descent or European, it was hard to tell. Mixed? Mixed. She was wearing mostly black clothing in a gothic punk/dark academia style. A white long sleeved shirt underneath a leather jacket with silver studs on the cuffs and shoulders, a pair of black denim bell bottom jeans hidden underneath a tear-away long black and white skirt with a checkerboard pattern, held up by the only thing on her that wasn't darkly colored: A bag that could fit in both arms if cradled like a baby, tan in color, with a silver colored zipper that made the bag look as if it were smiling, and a pair of yellow buttons above the mouth taking on the role of eyes. On her raven haired head was a black headband with four rusted iron nails hot glued to it, resembling a crown. Her polished copper brown-on-top/rusted copper-on-bottom eyes were fixed on her surroundings.

The more familiar face was that of Professor Paradox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you don't speak Arabic, like I don't, here's the translations:
> 
> "Aanesa"= Roughly meaning "Miss", I think? 
> 
> "Hibabi"= Roughly means "beloved" or something?
> 
> In terms of naming conventions, Arabic is a bit hard to work with from a non-native speaker's POV, but to simplify:
> 
> "Bint" is used for "daughter of" followed by her dad's name. "Bin" is used for sons. "Al" and possibly any variations are often used less like surnames, since those don't exist in Arabic, and are used more like a clan name. 
> 
> To use Wadi as an example, she is "Wadi daughter of Maboul of the Hassi" in Arabic. Somebody else who's in the same clan as her would be called "X child of Y of the Hassi" and there you go. 
> 
> Re: Honorific titles, Arabic doesn't do the whole "Mr/Ms/Mrs/Etc." thing that English does due the naming system that's in place, which is why your buddies who can speak Arabic get confused as hell when you address them as such, so instead, you call them by their honorific followed by their given name. Sigurros, who's read the minds of various people in various languages, knew this since, well, she is telepathic and would have the knowledge needed to avoid cross-linguistic confusion.
> 
> On a more storytelling related note: Am I the only one who's getting kinda bored of love triangles and fights between opposite gender from the protag love interests. For this fic, and to an extant, this entire series, that boring shit ain't happening. The only kind of catfight that I wanna see is between Nyancy Chan and, Idk, a cat EVO or something, because that fight would probably be pretty cool to see.


	5. Outrunning Karma-Alec Benjamin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for domestic violence, a VERY UNHEALTHY mindset, and slitting one's arm with medical tools.

"Alison!!!" Sigurros shouted with delight as she ran up to Alison and Paradox. Spanner stomped over to the two of them while Sigurros was running. Alison hugged Sigurros and lifted her up into the air. 

"Baozi bun!" Alison shouted with equal joy. Sigurros rolled her eyes at that silly nickname, but she didn't really mind, her smile and giggling saying such.

Spanner, on the other hand, was furious at Paradox. His body language said it all.

"Paradox, why the fuck are you here?! I thought I told you to not bother me with this one. I can handle _him_ by now. You can't keep me in the dark forever like _they_ used to do before-" Spanner instinctively stopped himself before he could say more that would give away the truth.

* * *

**_ Outrunning karma. That boy is such a charmer. All the bugs and their larva follow him down to Colorado. _ **

* * *

_Kenny couldn't sleep. Again. He was used to it. The arguments and glass breaking. They could never be quiet. How could they be? There was practically no such thing as a peaceful night. Not in his home. Home was never home for Kenny. Home was just another building. What were they yelling at each other for this time?_

_He heard Mother running up the stairs. The door, despite being made out of hardened steel, was ripped off its hinges and thrown towards the window. Kenny screamed in fear._

_What was happening?_

_And what was that M9 for?_

_Why was Mother aiming it at Kenny?_

_Why was she screaming nonsensical curses in Dine?_

_"Mommy? Is something wrong?"_

* * *

**_ Ten dozen hearts in a bag. Their bodies lying. He'll drag them down to Colorado, a modern desperado. _ **

* * *

_Paradox cradled Kenny as best he could. The fire kept raging as the last quarter moon reached its highest peak of midnight._

_Why didn't Kenny burn like Mommy and Daddy did?_

_The smell of burning bodies and alcohol flooded the air._

* * *

**_And he'll race for miles through the night. He runs because he knows he cannot hide. He's never gonna make it._ **

* * *

_Kenny looked at his Chrononaut Suit. It had become more advanced by now. He looked... Tougher, maybe? He felt stronger than the last times he wore it. Like he was a man rather than a boy. He felt the same kind of feeling that he had back when he had his first talent show performance back when he was twelve. His parents didn't show, unsurprisingly, but he still sang with all his heart and soul. Each step in his dance was so in tune with the rhythm that his fingers made on that guitar._

_Just for a few minutes, he felt free._

* * *

**_ All the poor people he's forsaken. Karma is always gonna chase him for his lies. It's just a game of waiting... From the church steeple down to Satan... Karma... There's really no escape for him until he dies. _ **

* * *

_Spanner was done with his most recent harvesting. His collection of Omnitrixes was growing by the nanosecond, but he knew the differences between each and every one of them, thanks to being born with his father's eidetic memory._

_He was still washing the blood out of his weaving loom. He remembered how his mother taught him how to weave. It was a minor hobby for him. One of the only things that brought him any sliver of joy left in his unlife._

* * *

_**Outrunning karma. That boy can't run no farther. It's the last days of Sparta. Follow him down to meet Apollo. And he'll brace for battle in the night. He'll fight because he knows he cannot hide.** _

* * *

_He still had the scarf she made for him._

_The scarf he still wore as Chrono Spanner._

_The closest thing to actual love that he ever had._

_For him, anything that was physical that his parents gave him to keep for good behavior was love._

_After all, good behavior meant that he was perfect._

_Perfection equaled attention._

_Attention equaled gifts._

_Gifts equaled love._

_He didn't care if the gift was a moment of quiet or a piece of clothing. It was his to keep. He didn't care if they were sober or if they were intoxicated. This was just how he understood love._

* * *

**_ He's never gonna make it. All the poor people he's forsaken... Karma is always gonna chase him for his lies. It's just a game of waiting... From the church steeple down to Satan. Karma... There's really no escape for him until he dies. _ **

* * *

"Before the fire?" Paradox finished for his surrogate son. "You know that they had the best intentions for you."

"No, they didn't. You didn't have to deal with being nitpicked on every little thing you did as a kid. You didn't have to deal with having to be perfect every single second just for them to notice that you're your own person instead of just an extension of them!" Spanner stated as his voice began to choke up.

He pulled out his scalpel and stabbed himself in his own left forearm. Beneath his helmet, Spanner was smiling at the feeling.

It scared Paradox as he screamed in concern.

"Spanner, please stop." Begged the older timewalker as he tried to take the medical tool away from Spanner.

 _"NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE AWAY MY PLEASURE!"_ Spanner yelled as he swung the scalpel in front of Paradox's face. A small cut was made on Paradox's right cheek as blood was beginning to drip onto the pavement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider the song for this chapter as a twisted kind of foreshadowing. 
> 
> Also, while I was writing for this chapter, I considered referencing a Navajo rite of passage that could work within Kenny's age range, for a coming of age kind of thing, but then I went: "Wait. I don't know what I'm talking about and I don't know if it would be safe to reference something from a culture that I ain't a part of." and when I was looking up Navajo rites of passage, I found one that was in the right age group, but in the wrong gender. I forgot the name but it starts with a K and celebrates a girl becoming a woman. I think all the ladies reading this will know exactly what that means. 
> 
> Double also, the word that Navajo people call themselves is Dine. That might just be one word they use, but Dine is the only one that I'm familiar with, so I'm gonna go with that. As for where the word Navajo came from, I'm gonna guess that it probably came from Spanish.


	6. Juvenile Mind-Cadmium/Grant Dawson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Multiple POV's. Go with it.

Paradox wiped the blood off of his face with his sleeve. Red. He was still human. That was good. It was nice to know he could still be called that.

Spanner, from Sigurros' perspective, looked as if he was fearful of reprimand. Just like how 191 used to be like back when she was freshly recovered from wherever she was from to Site-17. When they were just beginning to learn about her cyborg parts and her technopathy.

Spanner let out a short shriek of fear. He didn't want to be punished. He was already in Hell, so being hurt by Paradox would possibly be ten times worse than that. He lowered his head, dropped his scalpel, and gripped his scarf, twisting it as the stimulation was comforting for him.

"I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Please don't... Please..." Spanner stuttered as he began to rock his upper body back and forth.

 _Is Spanner like Stella?_ Sigurros thought. The behavior looked weirdly similar to whenever 134 would be stressed out about loud noises, but there weren't any super loud sounds in the moment, so what was making Spanner act like Stella?

"Alison, can you put me down? I wanna talk to Spanner."

* * *

_**I'm wide awake in bed. I need a break. My head is racing. I really hate it. Somebody take my stress, 'cause everyday this mess is making me so impatient, and I can't see a difference in a nightmare or my life, so please just save me from myself.** _

* * *

Alison did as requested and walked over to say hello to Ben and Rook while putting black lipstick onto her lips.

"Hey Ben. Hello Rook. Long time, no see." She said to them as she attempted to hug Ben, who naturally pushed her away due to unfamiliarity. He only knew Alison as one of Gwendolyn's former school friends and nothing more. The same would be true from Alison's perspective, just replace "former school friends" with "first cousin", if she didn't have any connections to her Little Sisters, but that was a rarity. Almost nearly impossible.

"Alison? How do you know Paradox and why didn't you just drive here? Also, warn us next time you go somewhere through a magic portal." Ben both asked and advised.

He wasn't understanding what's been happening lately. Mostly due to Rook, very oddly, beginning to tell more and more lies to him. Why was Rook being so cold to him, when he normally shouldn't act that way? 

Those magic amnesia drugs, or whatever it was those doctors gave him, didn't work on him, thanks to the watch's skills in not allowing any kind of mind manipulation and his nanites getting rid of the effects of the amnesia drugs during the time when they should've been working properly.

Ben's mild thoughts of suspicion regarding Rook's uncharacteristic lying habits were interrupted by Alison's response to his questioning.

"Just because I hung out with Gwennie doesn't mean I can't be buds with her original inner circle. We don't have to be tied down by who we're close to and who we're not. You of all people should know that."

* * *

**_ 'Cause there's a side of me and no one sees it. I battle demons everyday. I can't escape my mind. _ **

* * *

"Professor?" Sigurros said as she lightly tugged on Paradox's coat.

"Yes, Sigurros? Is something wrong?"

"Can I talk to Spanner? I'm worried about him and I wanna know if he's okay." She explained.

Paradox nodded in the affirmative.

"Of course, Sigurros. I've been wanting to catch up with some old friends of mine. Go on ahead." With that, he walked away, muttering under his breath in Spanish. "? Que es el nino enfermo? ?Por que no puedo arreglarlo? Soy un padre terrible."

"Ekki segja ad, Professor! Mer finnst thu standa vel. Thu geter gert betur en nuna. Nuna, er hann ad reyna ad meida sig." Sigurros protested in Icelandic, knowing exactly what Paradox said due to her multilingualism.

Paradox said nothing and continued on his walking. He walked until he reached the museum's entryway stairs. He covered his face as if he were a Weeping Angel. He switched to French.

"Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas chez moi?"

* * *

**_ I keep on fallin' hopin' I'll be fine again. My juvenile state of mind will keep me hating my friends. I keep on fallin' hopin' I'll be fine again. My juvenile state of mind will keep me hating my friends. _ **

* * *

Sigurros turned her attention back to Spanner. She was worried that there was something in his mind or body or soul or all of the above that might have been heavily neglected in his past.

"Spanner?"

The younger timewalker lifted his head.

"Yes?"

"Are you on the spectrum?"

"I'm a demiromantic pansexual."

"I didn't need to know that, but I support you. Also, that's not what that saying means."

"Oh. Then what does it mean?"

"I'm asking if you're on the neurodivergent spectrum. ADHD, ADD, Autism, stuff like that."

"Ah... I see... I don't think I have anything wrong with me. I'm perfect, aren't I? If I had anything wrong with me, then I'd be bad. And I'm not allowed to be bad at anything." Spanner said in a very unhinged sounding voice. Like he was some kind of addict. But his "fix" that needed to be filled with wasn't any kind of drug or anything sex related or anything like that, but Sigurros had looked into the minds of abused children plenty of times before, and knew that this was clearly one of those kinds of unfortunate cases. Either that or someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but Spanner cared about people, so that theory was out the window.

* * *

**_ Yeah, they tell me that they love me, but they never even call. Never reach out at all. I don't think they even really wanna waste their time trying to hit my line. (Never in my line.) And all they ever do is make excuses. We were never friends 'cause they treat me like I'm stupid. I don't wanna waste my time on people who waste all mine, yeah. _ **

* * *

"Are you high on something, Spanner? Like, say, you're chasing purple dragons or eating goat cheese omelettes?" Sigurros asked, wondering if Spanner was using some kind of drugs. Spanner just twisted his scarf some more. He wasn't sure what a goat cheese omelette had to do with getting high, but now he had a new food to try later, even though he had no need to eat.

"Sigurros, what does a goat cheese omelette have to do with chasing dragons? And why are the dragons purple?" Spanner asked, not fully understanding what she meant by such phrasing. He always did have trouble with idioms and metaphors, even when he was a little kid. He never questioned why he was like this, but people outside of his family frequently did. Everyone outside of his family always reported that there was something... wrong with him... as if he was the source of the wrongness... but he wasn't wrong... was he?

If so, what was so wrong about him?

* * *

**_ And I can't see a difference in a nightmare or my life, so please just save me from myself. 'Cause there's a side of me, and no one sees it. I battle demons every day. I can't escape my mind. I keep on fallin' hopin' I'll be fine again. My juvenile state of mind will keep me hating my friends. I keep on fallin' hopin' I'll be fine again. My juvenile state of mind will keep me hating my friends. _ **

* * *

Sigurros simply walked over to Paradox, joining him in sitting on the steps. She patted his back.

"Are you alright, Professor?"

"No. I'm not okay, Sigurros. I'm worried for my son."

* * *

**_ I can't wait for better days to come again. I need something more 'cause I am wearing thin. Most days I walk around and play pretend. I need something more. 'Cause I can't see a difference in a nightmare or my life, so please just save me from myself. I keep on fallin' hopin' I'll be fine again. My juvenile state of mind will keep me hating my friends. I keep on fallin' hopin' I'll be fine again. My juvenile state of mind will keep me hating my friends. _ **

* * *

Drew looked over towards Spanner. She turned to Doc and tapped his shoulder. He turned his head to speak to his wife.

"Drew, is something wrong?"

"There is something, but I don't know if 'wrong' is the right word."


	7. Decode-Paramore

Due to the... unique circumstances of what was going on today, the museum trip, sadly, had to be put on hold for another day. Mainly because of Spanner's interference in the space-timestream, or whatever it was called.

Kai could care less about Spanner's time travel fuck ups today, but she said nothing about it. 

She used to respect Spanner, but since his insistence at her and Ben being so-called "soulmates" just didn't let her keep the _very concepts_ of _her own_ free will and independence, she just quit believing in him.

After all, what's the point of doing anything if there's somebody forcing you to do something that just doesn't work for you?

It just wasn't right.

* * *

_**How can I decide what's right when you're clouding up my mind? I can't win your losing fight all the time; nor can I ever own what's mine when you're always taking sides... But you won't take my pride. No, not this time... Not this time...** _

* * *

"Alright, Miss Stefansdottir, shall we begin?" Asked Rook as he brought a first aid kit into the Saturdays' Airship's Medical Bay. Ben was walking next to him, while Zak and Wadi were sitting next to Sigurros, trying to ask her questions about what was going on.

Sigurros looked on at Ben and Rook. They were arguing. Ben was angry at Rook for keeping secrets. Rook didn't want to discuss the situation, it seemed. 

Sigurros, not knowing any better about relationships, due to both her young age and the lack of education given to her by the Foundation, did the only thing that a child like her knew:

Ask questions.

"Magister Rook? Mister Tennyson?" She began, getting their attention. "Are you two gay with each other?" She asked.

A short silence filled the room.

Then laughter from Zak and Wadi.

Sigurros was confused while Ben was more red than a tomato while Rook was stunned with a look on his face that said "What did this child just ask?" or something like that.

"Did I say something bad?" She asked. Then realization hit her like a nuke. "Ohhh... Okay, that did not come out right! I was trying to ask if you two were happy with each other!" She shouted as she clarified her query. Sigurros' usage of the word "gay" was treated as a minor issue in comparison to what was going on regarding Spanner and Paradox.

"Okay, as funny as Sigurros' question was, we're not done with talking about this little lying habit of yours, Blonko." Ben stated as the laughter died down and his blushing paled back into his skin's normal tone. His pronunciation of Sigurros' name was a bit butchered up, but was mostly accurate and surprisingly respectful to the Icelander. Ben was doing nothing or saying anything to insult the young witch. He knew better than to hurt a child. Physically and/or emotionally.

Emotional hurt.

That's what Ben had been feeling for the past year and a half because of Kevin killing Grandpa Max. It wasn't just Ben.

Sandra's shock and disbelief.

Carl's denial and panic.

Kenneth's raw anger.

Frank's confusion and disturbance.

Natalie's apathy and contempt.

Gwendolyn's pain.

* * *

_**How did we get here? When I used to know you so well? Yeah, how did we get here? I think I know how.** _

* * *

"Ben, I am not trying to hurt you. I have told you over and over. Just accept that I have no other choice in this matter. And you know that there is just too much risk if I informed you of anything related to this." Rook tried to explain to his partner. His attempts were becoming less hopeful.

"I get that you want me to be safe from whatever this whole thing that you're trying to hide from is, but it's the whole _'hiding stuff and lying to me'_ thing that you've been doing lately, and _I've been very verbal about it!"_ Ben fought back.

This wasn't the first time they had been having this argument.

They both hated having this fight, since neither of them could win.

* * *

_**The truth is hiding in your eyes and it's hanging on your tongue. Just boiling in my blood, but you think that I can't see what kind of man you are... If you're a man at all... Well, I will figure this one out on my own... (I'm screaming "I love you so.") On my own... (But my thoughts you can't decode.) How did we get here? When I used to know you so well? Yeah, how did we get here? I think I know how.** _

* * *

Paradox was not happy with Spanner's recent behavior, from his perspective, relatively speaking. 

It wasn't like most teenage rebellions, or even tantrums from those labeled as child stars when they burned out. Spanner's new behavior was more in line with an addict who was having withdrawal issues mixed in with the mindset of a Hollywood puppet whose fame was declining rapidly. The frequent self harm and increased sadomasochism... That was new for him... It was disturbing to feel so helpless in trying to help Spanner just calm down.

"Spanner..." He rasped out, knowing that it would be fruitless to talk to him again. "Why have you been... harming yourself? I don't understand what's been making you act this way. Why? Just why? You never talk to me like you used to-"

"Shut the fuck up, Paradox. We've been over this again and again. I'm tired of this conversation with you. _Just shut the Hell up old man!"_ Spanner said, his tone being the same growing aggression and agitation that he had been having for who knew how long from the point of view of non-linear time.

His mood swings were the worst part of all of this.

On the brighter side, or at least the less dim side, he wasn't drinking any alcohol. That was something, not quite bad or good, but something.

* * *

**_Do you see what we've done? We've gone and made such fools of ourselves. Do you see what we've done? We've gone and made such fools of ourselves. How did we get here? When I used to know you so well? Yeah, yeah, yeah... How did we get here? When I used to know you so well? I think I know._ **

* * *

Paradox left the cockpit while Spanner removed his helmet to put on his headphones to listen to some music. His hair had grown longer, the green dye he had once used for what was once all of his black-brown locks was now at his ends, which were down at his waist. Faded, as expected. The scars on his face were still there from his first encounter with Eon, but they were the only scars that had truly healed.

There was no longer the sweet smile he once had.

In its place, were dull eyes, drained of youth.

No one could see him now.

No one could know what his face looked like.

No one could hear his questions.

"Why am I not a real person to anybody?"

There was no answer.

* * *

** _I think I know... There is something I see in you. It might kill me... I want it to be true._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'll forgive the jab at Hollywood, can I ask one thing?
> 
> Why has nobody been exploring the ramifications of Spanner growing up as, what is basically, from a number of POV's, a child star since birth? I mean, come on! Both his parents, no, pretty much his entire family is some degree of famous, so it would make sense that Kenny would be like the Olsen twins or whatever. 
> 
> Who's to say that he wouldn't go down the same route as Michael Jackson?


	8. This Is Love-Air Traffic Controller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dead doves.
> 
> Please don't put them in your guts!!!
> 
> They probably taste super bad.
> 
> I just learned what that tag means.

Doyle watched as his sister was panicking about the "wrong" feeling that she was having. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with Spanner, but she was persistent. Doc noted that he was feeling it too, but Alison stated that she couldn't feel it, and that, if she could, she'd be immune to the effects of whatever this "wrong" feeling was.

Why would Alison be immune?

Wes made several mental notes. He knew exactly what Drew meant by having that feeling of "wrongness" and where that could lead. His years in Dimensional Control made him very knowledgeable on the subject of extradimensional Leaks. From the Kingdom of Alagadda and its Hanged King, to the unfortunate fate of Dr. Robert Scranton. 

He already knew about Alison.

"Let me talk to Spanner." Wes offered. "See if I can find out what he knows."

"Good luck, Dr. Green." Paradox said in a dejected tone. "You'll need it."

"Thank you, but I won't need luck." Wes said with a confident smirk. Kai smiled upon remembering her guardian's bravery. Wes was probably either the most courageous person she ever knew or the most insane. She had been his ward since she was nine years old and everyday she was grateful for being adopted by him after having jumped from foster home to foster home for those first nine years of her life. He never did believe in things like luck or fate, but he was always willing to trust Kai, even when what she said might not have made sense when removed from context. She had told him about what happened with Subdora and Exo-Skull on the night the Orb of Pooma Pookoo disappeared.

At the time, Kai blamed Ben, but now, she had no one to blame but herself.

Wes understood why she was upset, and was upset about what had occurred, but did not blame Ben or Kai. He blamed Spanner

* * *

_ **You're no good. You're no good.** _

* * *

A loud and high pitched scream alerted everybody in the Airship.

It was in Ben's voice, but it was not him.

Everyone had run, or flown in the case of Zon, to the cockpit, to see a young boy who greatly looked like Ben hanging from scarlet colored threads in a manner not unlike a marionette. The boy looked roughly ten years old, had Ben's brown hair and fair skin, but his eyes were a dark turquoise in color rather than summer grass green. His clothes were a black jumpsuit with violet cuffs and matching boots. A bracelet greatly resembling a fusion of sorts between the Omnitrix and the Charms of Bezel was on his left wrist, a runic-like hourglass being its sigil.

When he spoke, it was not in English, but instead, he spoke German.

"Stoppen sie dies, bitte... Bitte lassen sie mich gehen." Pleaded the alternate Ben. He was clearly in pain, but Spanner didn't look like he wanted him to be free. Spanner's face and hair were now revealed. Spanner was shown to be a Native American adolescent male, approximately fourteen years of age, with loose and long black-brown hair with green dye at the ends and at his waist. There was a scar on his lips and another under his right eye, looking as if they were still clotting. His eyes showed signs of heterochromia, 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're an actual psychologist, please help me with accuracy. The next chapter involves talking about Complex-PTSD (C-PTSD), an emotionally abusive family, a very toxic friendship, and a shit ton of what I'm just gonna call a piping hot mess inside the mind of a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD who's a shapeshifting time paradox!!!
> 
> It's as confusing as it sounds...


End file.
